DOHA: United Arab Emirates (UAE) emerged champions when they beat Jordan 6-3 in a tense final to claim the Aspire Banks Futsal crown at the Aspire Zone on Saturday.
The tournament was organised by Aspire Zone Foundation and 18 embassies were vying for the title since last November when the tournament kicked-off.
The final was attended by Hilal Al Kuwari, President of Aspire Zone Foundation; H E ZahiAl Smadi, Ambassador of Jordan to Qatar; Ham Al Raashedi, Consul at the UAE Embassy in Qatar, Abdulaziz Al Neima, Assistant Director of the Protocol Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and other representatives of the participating embassies.
Jordan opened the scoring early on only for the UAE to equalize moments later. Jordan then took the lead a second time, but once again the UAE equalised. The UAE took the lead shortly after, with the first half ending 3-2.
The second half started strongly and expectation began to build that Jordan might score, which they then proceeded to do drawing level on 3-3.
The nail biting fight for the title continued until the closing stages of the match, during which the UAE was able to edge ahead with another goal taking the game to 4-3.
The Jordanian team’s efforts to get one back were unsuccessful and the UAE managed to score two further goals in the dying minutes of the match to seal the title.
At the end of the match, Hilal Al Kuwari, President of Aspire Zone Foundation, awarded the UAE team with the title of the tournament, while Abdulaziz Al Neima, Assistant Director of the Protocol Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs awarded Jordan with the runners up title. Abdullah Al Khater, Events Manager at Aspire Zone Foundation, awarded Somalia with the third place title.
Commenting on the tournament, Abdullah Al Khater, Events Manager at Aspire Zone Foundation, said: “The aim of organizing such a tournament is to enhance ties between members of the community working in different sectors of the economy. The Aspire Embassies Futsal Tournament and the Aspire Banks League are great examples of this.”
He added: “At Aspire Zone Foundation, we are keen to encourage all members of the community to adopt healthy lifestyles through the different programmes of activity we organize year-round.”
“I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the success of this tournament, especially the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the participating embassies and the Qatar Football Association”.
H E Zahi Al Smadi, Ambassador of Jordan to Qatar, expressed his delight with the organization of such a tournament involving embassies in Qatar, saying: “We would like to thank Aspire Zone Foundation and the organizers for their efforts in making the tournament a success in every respect, maintaining our very high opinion of the Foundation’s activities.”
“Such tournaments are important because they highlight the many positive benefits of taking part, not only related to sport, but also encompassing cultural and social aspects too. We look forward to taking part in the next edition.”
Ham Al Raashedi, Consul at the UAE Embassy in the State of Qatar said: “This tournament is truly unique, as it represents an opportunity for a wide range of employees from embassies in Qatar to practice sport and connect with one another in an informal setting. We are proud of our win, and we would like to thank Aspire Zone Foundation for the great success of this event. We look forward to taking part in such events in the future.”
The Aspire Embassies Futsal Tournament saw teams from 18 embassies including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Jordan, Syria, France, Portugal, Sri Lanka, Somalia, Russia, Spain, Mexico, the United States of America, Algeria, Tunisia, India, Ethiopia and Kenya.The Peninsula
